1. Field of the Invention
The present invention generally relates to mechanisms for routing and supporting fiber optic jumpers and, more particularly, to an adjustable routing device for routing jumpers from fiber optic jumper raceways.
2. Background Art
Fiber optic troughs or raceways carry and route fiber optic cables such as fiber optic jumpers. The raceways are typically located overhead and horizontally extend over the location of fiber optic equipment such as distribution frames and bays in a facility. The raceways are generally top-opening metal or plastic troughs similar in configuration to rain gutters. Jumpers placed inside the raceways run along the raceways from point-to-point. The raceways protect the jumpers from damage while permitting access for modification, maintenance, connection, and repair.
Jumpers exit the raceways to connect with fiber optic equipment located beneath the raceways. Jumpers exit from raceways by extending over side walls of the raceways. At these raceway exit points, the jumpers are exposed and, as a result, are susceptible to damage. Further, at these raceway exit points, the jumpers are susceptible to being bent beyond a minium curvature radius. Jumpers should not be bent in a radius of less than 1.5 inches. Thus, routing devices at raceway exit points for routing jumpers are required to cover and enclose the jumpers from exposure and to guide and support the jumpers from bending and crimping.
In the past, a raceway was installed as a complete horizontal route lacking the ability to provide waterfall or reroute raceway exit point features for the jumpers to established paths. The raceway was cut-out at a raceway exit point in order to provide an opening for jumpers to exit the raceway. Typically, a new raceway component portion or junction was then inserted in place of the cut-out. Then, appropriate tie-down components such as screw-downs and snap-lock pieces would be used to assemble the new raceway component portion to the raceway. This method is considered dangerous for the jumpers already in place in the raceway. Further, the costs to insert raceway component junctions were compounded with the requirement of providing additional strength members to hold up the horizontal raceway that had been cleaved into two segments at raceway exit points.
Routing devices such as exit troughs have been used for raceways. Exit troughs provide raceway exit points without cutting-out the raceways thereby keeping the raceways intact. Exit troughs permit the interconnection of square vertical troughs to route a relatively large number of jumpers from the raceways to fiber optic equipment. Exit troughs typically have detachable covers that are lifted to place jumpers from the raceway onto the exit troughs. The covers and the exit troughs enclose the jumpers for protection.
A problem with such exit troughs is that they are typically configured to route a relatively large number of jumpers from a raceway exit point to fiber optic equipment at a given location. Frequently, it is desirable to route a smaller number of jumpers from many different raceway exit points to fiber optic equipment at many different locations. Another problem with such exit troughs is the detachable covers required for enclosing the jumpers. The covers are opened each time jumpers are placed in the exit troughs. As such, the covers could become permanently detached or lost from the exit troughs.